Rate My Professor Olivia Bracken

Olivia Bracken is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Ageing, Rheumatology and Regenerative Medicine at University College London. Her research focuses on the biology of T cells in ageing and the mechanisms by which IL-15 drives cytotoxic activity in senescent T cells. She previously conducted her PhD studies in Professor Derek Gilroy’s lab at UCL, investigating the role of inflammatory monocytes in the resolution of inflammation. Bracken supervises master’s and BSc students and lectures on the Fundamental and Applied Immunology module for master’s students.

In 2022, she received the award for best oral presentation for a PhD student at the Versus Arthritis Annual Fellows meeting. As first author, she contributed to research published in 2026 identifying a natural pathway that limits harmful immune cell expansion and helps resolve inflammation more quickly, with potential relevance to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Her professional email address is olivia.bracken.18@ucl.ac.uk.